Removes makeup- leaves greasy residue in its place.I had been wanting to try this cleansing oil for ages. Apparently, this was the pioneer c/o- the one that started it all. So, it stands to reason it'd be great, right? Turns out no. I purchased a sample size (30ml/1oz) bottle of this along with it's companion phyto cleanser (which seemed pretty useless). really glad I got the sample first, because I had been seriously considering buying the salon size bottle for cheap on eBay. Out of the bottle, this stuff is on the thicker side. Makes massaging it around to get my makeup off just that little bit more ... strenuous, I guess you could say. The scent is also very strong- and I personally don't find it pleasant. Reminds me of those cheap, powdery perfumes/soaps. Scent does disappear when rinsed.The worst thing about this, though, is the oily residue. It does -sort of- emulsify into a watery-milk but when I splash it off with water afterwards, my face seems to be coated in this gross, oily residue. Like this stuff didn't fully emulsify and now my face is covered in thick oil. Which is, essentially, what happened. Fail.However, this does not irritate my skin (does sting if you get it in your eyes, though!) or cause breakouts (though that is probably due to my having been recently on accutane, rather than the virtues of this stuff). My skin is normal/dry and quite sensitive.It does seem effective at removing makeup, though probably not as efficiently as others. I will not repurchase.So, whilst this product is significant and deserves praise for bringing cleansing oils to the world, the field has made lots of progress since then. I guess its testament to the wisdom that one should never buy the first iteration of any new technology! :P

I decided to purchase the starter pack for the hyol and pyphol that goes with it following a spa facial. This my first ever facial but it was suggested to me by the spa therapist who said it would be perfect for my dry and sensitive skin. The treatment itself was great but the following day, i had an itchy face in some areas. Within 48 hours i had more itchiness and then by 72 hours i had big lumps appearing all over my face. They are so itchy and red, and i thought maybe this is because i havent cleansed my face in ages so the facial has helped to open my pores etc, so i thought ill continue using the product just to keep my face cleaning. Big mistake! i had clearly had a reaction to the products and now i cannot wear any make up at all, i have red spots that look sore especially on my cheeks and around my chin, it stings and tingles and i am so disappointed with the results from using these products. I had never heard of Babor before, but i think if you have dry and sensitive skin like mine is, where your skin goes patchy after wearing make up and your face drinks all the moisturiser very quickly after application then please think twice about buying this as a cleanser. I have to warn you that its not a nice feeling having these big lumps that sting all over your face and thats constantly itchy. I now have to go to work for the next week or so make up free due to these products. I am so disappointed but i guess next time i will research all the products used in a facial before i go ahead and use them. Had to write this review to warn future users of a possible breakout like i have had (they arent spots with puss they are just these gatherings of lumps and bumps that are red and itchy).

I really love this product. My skin is very dry and most cleansers leave a dry feeling on my skin. I can't use any face wash either. But this stuff is the best. I use 2 pumps of the Ol and 1 pump of the base, that's enough for my face. Then I lather up with some wather and it rinses right off. I usually put it on my face and then wash it off in the shower.It doesn't leave a greasy feeling at all. It also removes my waterproof mascara perfectly.

UPDATE:I have found something equally good as this, just much cheaper: Real Art cleansing oil from some Korean brand, I think :)END OF UPDATE

First off: this is one of the many makeup removers I've tried. I often (aka almost daily) wear waterproof makeup and always look for good cleansers that will take everything completely off. Others emulsifiable oil cleansers like this one have been, for example:- Shu Uemura's Sublim8- L'Oreals Sensational Oil CleanserThese two are, I find, equally good, although the prices are very different. Babor's HyOl is maybe not much more effective at removing makeup, BUT it is much gentler and doesn't leave behind any residue, unlike the other two. I can use the Babor makeup remover even when I have dermatitis on my lips - everyone that have ever had dermatitis know that IT BURNS! The Babor cleanser is so gentle that it doesn't burn at all - neither when you have skin conditions like that, nor if it gets into your eyes. .I use the Babor Cleanser with the Sensitive Phytobase, because my skin is sensitive. I find that these two together take the makeup off well and don't dry my already dry skin drier (although I DO have to put on moisturizer right away - as said: my skin is dry). I would really recommend buying a Pytobase to use with the cleanser though - I feel the phytobase actually make this cleanser even better. I have noticed that HyOl + Phytobase calms my skin down and it looks more fresh and less irritated, which also involves less pimples :) It's not often a cleanser is so effective that it calms breakouts, but this one actually really helps my skin, and the result was visible in less than two weeks!.Do I recommend this? Yes, but only if you have some money to spend or if you have very sensitive skin that needs special care. Otherwise, there are other options. In any case: I will use up my Sublime8 and Sensational Cleansing Oil too, but buy Babor after, if I have the money, just because my skin really is sensitive, and this makeup remover does everything I need and more :)

I received a generous sample of Babor Hy-ol and Phytoactive Base and it sat in my sample bag for months. I'm not going to lie, it scared me! I'd read the raves of oil cleansers. I'd even ordered a Shiseido oil cleanser one time, only to return it unused because I couldn't bring myself to smear oil all over my face. I kept thinking of the Babor sample but couldn't work up my nerve. Would it aggravate the cystic acne I'd worked so hard to keep at bay? Would it make me have whiteheads all under my eyes? Would it just feel like sludge was sitting on top of my skin? Or was it possible it really was the HG?

Finally, I took the plunge. I was scared to death. Surprisingly, it only felt like an oil slick for a minute, when I first applied the Hy-ol. When I added the Phytoactive Base, it was game on! As I massaged my face with my fingertips, I could feel the gunk in my pores working its way to freedom! I know that sounds like a crock, but I swear. I might have even heard angels singing. Okay, so maybe I made that last part up. But still, I could tell there was a party going on and my skin was on the VIP list.

I did the requisite steaming with a face cloth and wiped it off, repeating the process until I felt like I'd taken any excess oil away. My face felt smooth, looked like I'd just had a facial, and wasn't at all oily. I followed it with Kiehl's Dark Spot Correcting Solution, a few drops of Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate, a dab of Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Eye Cream, and a small pea of Tazorac. All of this is my usual routine, only the Tazorac is every other night.

And then I waited. What had I just done to myself? Was horrible cystic acne just around the corner? Would I be an oil slick in thr morning? Nope. If anything, My face felt a little tight after my morning Cetaphil and Clarisonic routine. Another round of Dark Spot Correcting Solution, followed by Skin by Ann Webb Pomegranite Moisturizer, Guerlain Meteorites Perles Primer, Givenchy Photo'perfexion, and MUFE HD powder.

I'm a convert! This oil cleanser is HG for me. I just hope the larger bottles I ordered get here before my sample runs out.

I read about some people using cooking oils to make their own oil cleansers. One night I was feeling particularly daring after starting the Babor regimen and tried a mixture of castor, olive, and grapeseed oils. Blech! Won't do that again! It was a sticky, stubborn mess. And the smell? P.U. Not for me. The next day my blotting papers were particularly transparent after use, too. I'll gladly pony up for the Babor instead.

UPDATE: A few weeks later and I'm still loving it. My skin has thrived despite airplane cabin dry air, change of climates, lots of sunscreen, and long hours of makeup wear.

Best make-up remover for sensitive skin! When you apply IT al the make-up comes off without leaving any off IT on your face. IT doesn t make my face red like other cleansers.All my other make-up removers don t take away all of the make up and they burn because i need to use them in a larger amount.

Tried this for a few days,and as much as I would love to love this, it didn't clean my skin thoroughly enough (makeup on)and I saw an increase of whiteheads.I also developed painful acne,which I haven't seen in 3 years. Plus, it's too much work to use.Thank God I only got samples...

I've been using this for over six months now and so far it's the best cleanser I ever had. I use this with the Phytoactive for combination skin and after that the Rose Toning Lotion by Babor, too. Other cleansers which I tried before used to dry my skin out, leaving my t-zone oily (mainly the nose) with dry, flakey patches though! This was the reason why I stopped using any cleansers for 2 years, I just massaged my skin with water during the daily shower & used some vegetable oil (tsubaki, mostly) when I had to take off make-up occasionally (did not use make-up often). I wasn't happy with that routine either, I missed that 'absolutely clean feeling' and I felt like my skin would need more 'nuture' - it looked a bit dull and I was unhappy with my big pores. A friend who I always admired for her perfect skin (she says she has very dry and sensitive skin) raved about this brand so I gave it a try. I wasn't expecting much because I was a lot into green/ bio/ natural stuff at that time. Well, Babor healed me from that and left me amazed. I didn't know my skin could look like that. My pores looked smaller right after using it the first time, and my face felt clean but wasn't dry. I have acne-prone skin but don't have to deal with serious breakouts since using this. My skin feels softer, purer and more even with less redness.

Cons: I think it is a bit difficult to wash off as it has an oily texture (you need more splashing than with other kind of cleansers), but that's no problem if you use a toner afterwards! Also, it's pricier compared to other cleansers, but I can compensate that because of the result and it lasts me long, too.

I love the hy-oil! I have very dry and sensitive skin and since i use this, my skin has improoved so much! I am lucky to actually live in the city where the Babor's flagshipstore is at and they do have an outlett-store there, too. As it was incredibly cheep there (If you have the chance to get to germany, go there!! I purchased 100 ml Hy-oil and 100ml Phytoactive together for 28 $) I let the SA talk me into using this product and I have repurchased the Hy-oil and the Phytoactive for sensetive skin 3 times since then. I did not pay too much attention how long it lasts, but I use it twice daily, in the mornings and evenings, and would guess it lasted about 4 month. The SA also told me that you only need to take 1 pump of the hy-oil and 2 pumps of the phytoactive.

Many years ago, I had been a devoted Babor user and Hyol was part of my daily cleansing routine. Then we moved and I couldn't get it easily, so I moved onto other brands. While in Leipzig, Germany, last year, I walked past a Babor salon and immediately went in. I bought the Hyol and the sensitive cleanser. Unfortunately, the results were not as happy as in years past. My skin didn't like this product anymore. My pores were clogged and I had breakouts. After about six weeks, I threw it out. One note: the salon manager said that in Germany, women don't mix the Hyol and cleanser together. It seems to be primarily an American practice. I tried it both ways - combining them as instructed by the American salon where I discovered Babor and on their own. Neither method was a success. I don't know whether the bad experience was due the product (a reformulation?) or changes in my skin. So, with a bit of regret, I have crossed Babor off my list.